With 10 games left in the regular season, it is becoming increasingly clear this is one more of those special seasons for the UConn women's basketball team, destined to end with a trip to the Final Four, if not with the eighth national championship in program history.

When you have been to 13 Final Fours, you could say that about most seasons, it seems, but this one feels like it could end much better than the last two. The reason behind such optimism and all the positive energy around this year's team is simple: the emergence of a dynamic duo.

Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis and Stefanie Dolson have established themselves as legitimate first-team All-America candidates. That bodes well both because of the unselfishness of these two players and the history of the UConn program.

"That's something that I'm not focused on right now," Dolson said of individual honors. "I just want to be the best team in the country. And that just means me playing at my best. If that's going to help my team win every game and then at the end win the tournament, that just what I have to do."

Dolson, a 6-5 junior center, is enjoying career highs in points (13.8) and rebounds (6.7), and leading the country in shooting percentage at 61.2. With 65 assists, she needs just one more to match her career-high for a full season, and she's on pace to have 18 percent fewer turnovers than her best season.

"I don't think there's any quarrels I have with Stefanie in anything that she's done since the first day of practice," UConn coach Geno Au-

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riemma said. "So if she can stay exactly the way she is and get better at some of the things that she's already good at ... I don't know that we could ask those two to do anymore for us. And where that puts them nationally, I don't know. That's for other people to decide.''

Mosqueda-Lewis said she would like to earn All-America status because it would validate the hard work she has put into redefining herself as more than a 3-point shooter.

"I've tried to make steps to be more consistent for my team and just being a better all-around player," Mosqueda-Lewis said. "And I feel like if you're talking about a player that's the best in the country, or one of the best, they're not someone that just scores or someone that just plays good defense. It's someone that does a little bit of everything, like Kelly Faris.''

Mosqueda-Lewis has improved her mid-range jumper and her defense, and she's driving to the basket more. Being confident in her overall game has also improved her 3-point shot. She's gone from shooting 38.4 percent from behind the arc to 50.8. Her overall field goal percentage has improved from 43.2 to 53.5. She has also increased her scoring from 15 ppg. to 16.9, and her rebounding from 5.4 to 5.6. She is also averaging more assists (2.4 to 1.7) and fewer turnovers (1.4 to 1.5).

Auriemma said he's in no hurry to declare either Dolson or Mosqueda-Lewis anything but integral parts of a 19-1 UConn team.

"When we put Kelly Faris on Mount Rushmore (after the Duke game), she hasn't played well since,'' Auriemma said. "So I think we need to slow down and make sure we don't carve out any more busts of any of our players. What I want Kaleena to do is understand, 'This is my role on my team and if I shoot it every single time I touch it, nobody on the team's going to be upset. And if I keep offensive-rebounding the way I'm rebounding and keep playing the way I'm playing, then I have a chance to help this team win the games that we want to win.'"

During 16 of the last 19 years, UConn has had at least one player named a first-team All-American. Over that span, there have been seven seasons when the Huskies have had more than one first-team All-American, and each time it has resulted in great team success, as well.

In the seven previous seasons in which the Huskies have had more than one State Farm All-American, they have reached the Final Four all seven times and won the national championship five of those times.

A similar correlation can be found with regard to AP All-America honors. There have been eight seasons in which UConn has placed multiple players on the AP first or second teams, and the only time the Huskies failed to make it to the Final Four was the 1996-97 season. They didn't lose their first game that season until the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight, three games after Shea Ralph suffered an ACL injury.

Of those other seven seasons, the Huskies won five national championships and lost in the national semifinals twice.

Two more All-Americans this year? Book your reservations for New Orleans, Huskies fans, and be ready to celebrate this time.

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